The present device relates generally to a system and method for stabilizing vertebrae and, more particularly, to a system and method for optimally aligning and/or attaching a plate with respect to a spacer during spine surgery to stabilize vertebrae.
Interbody spacers and spinal plate assemblies are utilized to restore disc height, allowing fusion to occur between two adjacent vertebral bodies, and provide stability during the fusion process. The plate may be mechanically coupled to the spacer to provide implant stability during healing, reduction in the number of surgical steps, as well as to orient the trajectory of a plurality of bone anchors during implantation. Surgical techniques involving lateral access to the lumbar spine have reduced risks to the patient inherent to anterior or posterior access, but lateral implant of a spacer and plate conventionally requires the spacer and plate to be mechanically coupled for proper alignment.
It is desirable to optimally align the plate with respect to the spacer without mechanically coupling the plate to the spacer, especially when performing surgery through a lateral access channel to the lumbar spine, where a large amount of tissue is retracted and visualization may be limited. However, such optimal alignment can be difficult to achieve.